YouTube on iOS now has a dark mode

This should be good news for those iPhone or iPod users who like their video watching experience dressed in black (so to speak). Google has recently announced this week that it is now offering a dark mode for YouTube's mobile app on iOS (no need to fret, Android users -- it is coming your way soon, too). As soon as users activate the dark theme, the background interface of the app immediately shifts from the customary white to a moodier black color.

Other users who do not mind the familiar white background of YouTube’s interface may not see this new functionality as something hugely significant, but there are those who want a cinematic feel even when watching their favorite YouTube channels (or the latest viral cat video). The new dark mode then should appease those who want to indulge their Sith impulses.

Apart from the cinematic feel, having a dark theme may pose some advantages. For some, tired eyes could use some less brightness, and the dark mode should help in that department. YouTube also took the opportunity to point out that its app on dark mode should produce minimum glare (as compared to the normal interface), while allowing viewers better facility in enjoying the colors of the content they are watching.

And several tests do suggest some evidence that dark themes could actually help in prolonging the battery life of smartphones and tablet devices. And considering that some videos on YouTube are more than ten minutes long, power efficiency should matter.

YouTube had first introduced the dark mode back in May of last year, but only for the desktop version of the service. This was around the time that Google had started deploying the Material Design inspired new look, which made for simpler and less cluttered navigating and browsing. Suffice it to say that after consumers had experienced the dark theme on desktop, they were now itching to replicate experience on their mobile devices.

Of course, rolling out the feature on smartphones and tablets proved to be easier said than done. But by January earlier this year, a number of users have started to notice the dark theme being tested by Google. Surely, it was only a matter of time before the dark mode found its way to handsets.

YouTube now joins other apps in fully embracing the dark theme. Other popular brands include Twitter, Reddit, Overcast, Fantastical 2, Telegram X, Instapaper, Pocket, and Feedly, just to name a few.